Peer pressure helps cool off summer energy use surges

As politicians ponder clean coal and creative sustainable energy solutions, many Americans are pumping up their air conditioners to stay out of the summer heat.

Energy use skyrockets this time of year, forcing electric companies to burn up coal supplies and expand plants to handle the peak season.

One utility provider in Illinois is showing its consumers exactly where they stand by mailing each one letter to show how their energy usage compares to the neighbors.

“Despite pretty compelling economic reasons for customers to become more efficient at using energy, a lot of them don’t do it. Despite what they teach you in Economics 101, most customers don't behave in the traditional, rational way,” Commonwealth Edison employee Val Jensen told NPR.

A company in Sacramento is using a similar approach, going as far as to reward homes that conserve energy with smiley faces on their reports. You guessed it, energy drainers are reprimanded with frowns.

The strategy already seems to be working, according to the the New York Times. In Sacramento, consumers who received the letter reduced energy levels by 2 percent more than those without a smile or frown.

Now major metropolitan centers such as Chicago and Seattle are poised to try out similar measures.

The Positive Energy company is providing tools such as home energy reports, carbon calculators and advanced meter analytics.

On its Web site, Positive Energy has the goal of engaging the millions of Americans who are still in the dark about their energy use.

Donald Kelley of the BrainShift Foundation told the Times getting neighbors to compete is only natural.

“As Americans, we are good at entertainment and competition,” he said. “It’s why on ‘American Idol’ they get 40 million voters. It’s the part of this culture that people really understand, and we should be harnessing it.”

It doesn’t take Simon Cowell to point out that Americans like to win. Instead of pouring that energy into fantasy sports this summer, hopefully some of them will see the light and turn down the air conditioning.